Blending Worlds

By Katy Doyle

Much like the mysterious main character in her newly published children’s book, Miss L’eau, author and Canyon Country resident T. Katz, wears her reading glasses low on her nose and welcomes you into her world with enigmatic eyes.

“ I do see things through quirky glasses,” the diminutive and articulate Katz admits. “I’m more Irma Bombeck than Maria Shriver.”

Katz draws upon her unique worldview and life experiences to tell the stories in both her published and soon-to-be-published books. Miss L’eau incorporates her love of the ocean and belief in volunteerism developed during her childhood in northern California; Pythagoras was inspired by her role as a piano teacher and appreciation for music’s profound influence on children; the main character in Fallon Hotel is modeled after Katz’s son, JoJo, telling of an autistic child’s struggle to connect with the world; and No Family Tree for Me, which deals with adoption, prominently features the Santa Clarita Valley.

“I love this area,” she says, “I see myself growing older and grayer here.” Katz and her husband Steve chose to settle in the valley 14 years ago. “The first headline I read in the local paper was literally about a fireman rescuing a cat from a tree. The essence and spirit of the town was everything we believed in. I jumped in with both feet.”

Since then the couple have raised their children, Shaina, 16, and JoJo, 12, here and have formed strong ties to the community. Katz recently entered a Dreyer’s Slow-Churned Ice Cream “Neighborhood Salute” writing contest. She penned 150 words about how your neighborhood is what you make it and compared her cul-de-sac to a family. She won.

Katz, who worked in the children’s entertainment industry for 12 years, often enters contests because she writes every day. “I’m a working writer,” she says, “because I’m working it.”

Her career as a children’s author began when her daughter asked her to help on a school project. Creating a presentation on the life of a writer, Shaina asked her mother why she didn’t pursue writing herself. “I wanted to show her that it isn’t easy to be a writer,” Katz says. “You have to deal with a lot of rejection.”  Katz sent out query letters to literary agents, and, instead of the expected rebuffs, she received positive responses. This led her to the environmentally focused publishers at Blue Works, a division of Windstorm Creative, who have released her first two titles. 

One of Katz’s favorite sayings is “Success is the sum of small works done continuously.” At roughly 100 pages each, her delightful books are sure to successfully convey the poignant messages she imparts through her imaginative characters. 

But, she asks, “What is a measure of success?  I do what makes me happy. I write because I love it. It gives me joy.”   
Miss L’eau and Pythagoras are available for purchase at www.amazon.com or can be ordered directly through the publisher at www.windstormcreative.com.

Photo by gary choppé